Illustration of rail
1
a
: a bar extending from one post or support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
: a structural member or support
2
a
b
: a light structure serving as a guard at the outer edge of a ship's deck
c
: a fence bounding a racetrack
plural rail or rails
: any of numerous wading birds (family Rallidae, the rail family) that are of small or medium size and have short rounded wings, a short tail, and usually very long toes which enable them to run on the soft mud of marshes
railed; railing; rails
: to revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language
railer
noun
Examples of rail in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the stairs are icy, so hold onto the rail
an abandoned stretch of rail that was overgrown with brush
Verb (2)
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Recent Examples on the Web
Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025
Thanks to kid-friendly amenities like high chairs, beds with safety rails, and toys, the rental is especially well-suited to families traveling with little ones.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2025
Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Another big project on the horizon is the pier railing replacement, with hopes to add a more environmentally friendly composite railing later this year, similar to Cayucos Pier on the Central Coast.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rail
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Noun
Although land operations continued as normal, so containers unloaded ahead of the stoppage could move via road, rail or inland waterway, there are fewer containers are being shipped because of the seaside backlogs.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025
Thanks to kid-friendly amenities like high chairs, beds with safety rails, and toys, the rental is especially well-suited to families traveling with little ones.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
Pratt rails against the property insurance situation before the blaze and the foreign corporations snapping up parcels from distressed sellers who’d planned to pass them down to younger generations.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Another big project on the horizon is the pier railing replacement, with hopes to add a more environmentally friendly composite railing later this year, similar to Cayucos Pier on the Central Coast.
—Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rail
Cite this Entry
“Rail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rail. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rail
1 of 4 noun1
a
: a bar extending from one support to another and serving as a guard or barrier
b
2
a
: a bar of steel forming a track for wheeled vehicles
b
: railroad
rail
2 of 4 verb
: to provide with a railing
rail
3 of 4 noun
plural rails or rail
: any of various small wading birds related to the cranes
rail
4 of 4 verb
: to scold or complain in harsh or bitter language
railer
noun
Etymology
Noun
Middle English raile "bar, rail," from early French raille, reille "bar, ruler," from Latin regula "straightedge, ruler," from regere "to lead straight, govern, rule" — related to regent, regulate, rule
Noun
Middle English raile "rail (the bird)," from early French raalie (same meaning)
Verb
Middle English railen "to scold, be abusive to," from early French railler "to mock," probably derived from Latin ragere "to neigh"
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